What Wouldn't I Do
by hatchling
Summary: Spoilers up to the first 10 episodes of season 8! Castiel's gone missing and the Winchesters are determined to reach him. They get some help from surprising parties and find out about a deal they need to break - fast. Rated to be safe. Some mentions of very adult situations. Can be seen as Destiel or just friendship.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first Supernatural fanfic... Wow. I'm so ridiculously obsessed with the show right now. This was actually a request, but I thought I'd go ahead and post it here, too. All reviews are much appreciated! :)

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. Nooothing! I make no money out of this.

... ... ...

"Dammit, Cass! Where are you?" Dean yelled in frustration.

"Maybe he doesn't appreciate it when you call him a birdbrain or refer to his feathery ass", Sam suggested. He didn't even bother lifting his gaze from the screen of his laptop, which Dean found irritating. What right did he have to stay so calm?

Dean sat on the motel bed and directed his irritation back to Cass' absense. He proceeded to stare at his cell phone, as if it was the machine's fault Cass didn't answer.

"Look, Dean, he's always said he's got business of his own, some heavenly angel crap. Maybe he's just busy", Sam shrugged. Then he frowned. "Except that..."

"Cass is once again cut off from heaven and should have no angel crap whatsoever", Dean filled in.

"Yeah", Sam agreed thoughtfully. "You know, this _is_ kind of weird. Just a couple of days ago he wanted nothing more than to hang out with us and become a hunter."

"Thank you!" Dean exclaimed, happy that Sam finally saw his point. "Unless he's plotting something behind our backs again..." the older Winchester added and started pacing around the room. Sam looked up to his brother, surprised to see his worried expression. He sighed and closed the laptop.

"Dean, he wouldn't. You saw him when the God-episode got bad, I think he learned his lesson", he assured his brother. The worried expression on Dean's face relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, you're right", he agreed, remembering how Cass had told him he feared he'd kill himself if he went back to heaven to see the mess he had caused. Dean sat down on the bed again and resumed his worrying. Then why did the angel not answer? "Do you think he's in trouble?" he asked Sam.

"Probably", Sam answered truthfully. "The question is, whether the trouble is so deep he can't make it out by himself."

They poundered the situation in silence. All kinds of awful possibilities crossed Dean's mind, but he forced himself to concentrate on the most likely options. It wasn't like him to freak out in situations like these, and he wasn't about to start a new habit. Besides, it was possible Cass just had some "angel crap" to attend to. Still, there were a couple of options he just couldn't overlook.

"What if Crowley got to him?" Dean voiced the thought he felt was the least far-fetched.

Sam frowned. "I understood their last encounter didn't turn out too well for Crowley... I mean, even though Cass ended up smiting the demon tablet instead of him... Kevin was pretty impressed", he wondered. Then he shook his head. "Naw, I don't think Crowley would risk it."

"Well, what if the angels got to him?" Dean suggested reluctantly in a quiet voice. Sam opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut. If heaven – the angels that remained on Raphael's side – had gotten their hands on the purgatory-weakened Castiel?

"Uh..." Sam finally said. "Let's go with the Crowley-idea."

"Yeah", Dean agreed.

... ... ...

After directing their unfinished case forward to Garth, the Winchesters scraped up the things they needed in order to summon a demon. Then they headed off to Rufus' cabin. Dean thought it was nothing but a waste of time, but Sam didn't want to risk doing the summoning in a motel room – if things got out of hand, civilians could be in danger.

Crowley appeared into the demon trap as usual, but his expression was nothing like his usual smug smile. This time, he looked downright angry and the Winchesters took an instinctual step back.

"This joke is getting quite old, don't you think?" the demon asked in a low, menacing voice. "I don't have time for this."

Dean slapped himself mentally for flinching at Crowley's tone. They knew better than to fear this lowly crossroads demon. Dean gave him the best insulted face he could. "And here I thought you'd always have time for us!"

"Of course, my dear boys, any other time I'd be happy to play trap-the-demon with you!" Crowley assured, playing along with Dean's tone. "But right now daddy had more important business to attend to. So, let me go, and I'll spare your lives."

Sam and Dean shared a glance. Something didn't add up. If Crowley had Cass, he should've been like a kid around Christmas, possibly rubbing it to their faces in his endless arrogance. Dean turned back to the demon and asked: "Does your more important business have anything to do with a certain angel, by any chance?"

"You've lost your little treetopper", Crowley stated, narrowing his eyes. "As much as I'd like to be able to tell you he's downstairs, drinking tea with the demons, I must disappoint you. I haven't seen him since he stole half of my tablet. Now, darlings, I really must be going."

"What's the matter, Crowley?" Sam asked him in faked concern.

"Trouble in paradise?", Dean added.

"Trouble in hell, boys, and when there's trouble in hell..." Crowley sneered, but stopped suddenly. The Winchesters shared another quick glance.

"What?" Dean asked in a demanding tone. Crowley was now eyeing them with new found interest.

"Unless..." he started thoughtfully. "I may have been a little too hasty." The demon shoved his hands into his pockets and took a deep breath. "Do you know what Lucifer needs in order to gain control over hell again?"

Sam's heart leaped at the mention of Lucifer and a heavy feeling settled in his stomach. How the hell could Lucifer be involved?

"Last time I checked, Luce was locked in a cage with the key thrown away. What does he have to do with anything?" Dean asked, crossing his arms over his chest to cover for the nasty, cold feeling he got at the thought of Lucifer.

"Well, the cage is merely a metaphora, but I suppose it fits... He's just making a break for it", Crowley said with a shrug. "You can imagine my rather awkward position as the current ruler of hell, when the old one wants the throne back."

Dean snorted a rough laugh and cleared his throat. "Okay, so, you have a game of thrones going on down there, fine. What's that got to do with us?", he wanted to know. "I mean, okay he can have hell, but he can't walk the earth unless someone starts with the seals again, right?"

"Yes, you're right. It's really not your concern at the moment. It's neither of you he wants... All he can do is rot in hell, whether he rules it or not", Crowley answered.

Sam let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Even though he couldn't really remember the time he had spent in the cage with Lucifer, he did remember the after-effects. Being insane and having the devil to deal with all the time was no stroll in the park. Dean felt equally relieved to hear Crowley's assuring words, but the worried frown remained on his face.

"Okay. We get that. What you have failed to explain, is why the hell should we care?" he asked.

"Yeah, you never told what... Lucifer needs?" Sam added.

"Indeed, I didn't. The only thing Lucifer has, but a demon doesn't, is the sodding troublesome grace. Right now he isn't very much in touch with his own..." Crowley looked from a brother to another, searching for signs of realization. The wheels seemed to be turning in Sam's head, but Dean's expression remained confused. With an inward sigh Crowley continued: "So, he needs to borrow the angel juice from someone else. We all know angels are one of the rare creatures that can invade hell. And it just so happens your friend has visited hell a couple of times, pulled you both out of there and whatnot."

"So basically what you're saying, is that Lucifer has Cass and he's using his grace to regain control over hell?" Sam concluded in a rather incredulous tone.

"I don't recall you being this slow. Have you hit your head one time too many?" Crowley asked curiously. Dean was too worked up to notice the insult.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Oh, heavens no", Crowley answered, lifting both hands in the air. "I didn't even know Cassie was missing. Call this a well educated guess."

"Cass would never help Lucifer", Dean stated. He sounded more convinced than he was. He found himself wishing Crowley had had Cass, so they could've just dealt with it right there. The thought of the angel working for the devil made him sick to his stomach. Suddenly he remembered how Cass had been with all the souls of purgatory inside him. How cold. How very little humanity there had been. The thought was frightening and for a second, Dean considered the unspeakable. That Cass had agreed to do it as some ridiculous idea to defeat Crowley once and for all.

"You say that like good old Luce would give him a choice", Crowley said, shrugging. Dean snapped out of his grim thoughts and the feeling of nausea increased. What had he been thinking? If it was Cass' grace Lucifer was planning to use, the angel would never give it to him from his own free will. Dean lowered his gaze to the floor. It was all starting to be too much.

The more Sam thought about it, the more far fetched it sounded. Cass could be anywhere. And the thing with Lucifer was just coincidentially happening at the same time. The only problem was, that concidences like that did not exist.

"Well, if that's what's happening, I guess we are on the same team again", Sam said to Crowley, not sounding too happy about the fact.

"So it would seem", the demon agreed. Despite being so goddamn troublesome, the Winchesters were a valuable asset in the battle against Lucifer. They had defeated him once, maybe they could do it again. A dark smirk spread on Crowley's face. And if castiel was involved, they definitely would. That much he had learned about the Winchesters. He had surprised even himself by appearing into the obvious trap they had prepared for him, but now he praised himself for having done so. The duo usually had something interesting to offer him.

"Now that that's settled, you could let me go", he suggested, motioning towards the carpet he was standing on. Sam slowly crouched to lift the corner of and scratch off a spot of paint. "Splendid! Shall we meet at my mansion? I suggest you get moving as soon as you can. Cheers!"

... ... ...

So, what do you think? I have the whole story written down anyway... Let me know if it's worth posting!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hi, guys! Thanks for the reviews and follows :) I hope I won't let you down... There is some _terrible _English in this chapter, but please bear with me... Also, I have no clue how long it takes to drive from Rufus' cabin to Crowley's mansion. Sorry about that. _  
_

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

... ... ...

"Dean, I don't like this", Sam mumbled as he sat down on the passenger's seat of the Impala.

"Yeah, well if you have a better idea, spit it out. If not, suck it up and shut up", was Dean's tight reply. He had thought about it, too, and he didn't like the idea of working with Crowley any more than Sam did. But if saving Cass would require them to step out of their comfort zone, Dean would do it. He started the car and they left the cabin behind.

"We worked for Crowley once before and it didn't turn out too well... what happened to the "never-work-with monsters again" -plan?" Sam continued, ignoring Dean's bluntness.

"I know what you mean, but we have to find Cass", Dean answered. "I couldn't get him out of purgatory but if he's in hell, I will get him out", he added, mostly to himself. Then he gave Sam a pained glance. "We actually owe him that much, Sammy."

Sam couldn't argue with that, but he was surprised to hear Dean say it. The big brother wasn't exactly the fastest forgiver, and Cass' soul-eating phase had pissed him off pretty bad. Sam had thought he still wasn't over that, at least enough to agree they owed Cass. Not wanting to start such a difficult conversation with his brother now, Sam just leaned back into his seat and sighed.

The drive to Crowley's mansion was not too long, they reached their destination in the morning. The sun was only just rising and the sky was a beautiful mixture of pink and orange. The Winchesters didn't spare a glance towards it, their minds occupied by more pressing matters. Like how to avoid getting ganked by a demon.

Dean checked his jacket for the knife. Finding it securely tugged into its place, he proceeded to check the holy water pistols. Sam placed the angel blade in the straps inside his jacket and took the bright green plastic gun Dean offered him. They were past laughing at the bright colored toys, knowing how handy they could be in a fight against a demon.

The brothers entered the building cautiously. They were prepared for demons, but if Crowley had planned on killing them, he might get creative. But the mansion was empty and silent. It looked like nobody actually lived there. Then again, Crowley had probably had better things to do during the past few months than keeping his house occupied.

They didn't get too far though, before Sam stopped dead on his tracks and lifted an arm to stop Dean.

"Listen", Sam whispered, barely audibly.

Dean frowned in concentration, trying to hear what Sam was hearing. His frown deepened when he did: two voices were talking quietly in the distance.

"Come on", he told Sam, as he started silently making his way towards the stairs.

The voices led them to Crowley's office – the room he had given the Winchesters the Colt in. The door wasn't properly closed and Dean tiptoed the rest of the way, Sam following right behind him. When they reached the door, the voices stopped. Dean felt like his heart stopped for a split second, too. Had they been noticed? Then Crowley's voice spoke:

"Eavesdropping is a bad habit, boys."

The door flew open and the brothers hardly made it out of the way. Dean's eyes widened and Sam's jaw dropped at the sight that greeted them. There was someone in the room they never thought they'd see again.

"Hi, guys! I've missed you", the archangel Gabriel said, grinning from ear to ear. "Though I'm kind of disappointed at how poor care you took of my bro..."

All the Winchesters could do was gape. Sam was the first to recover. Well, almost recover. "You were... How did you..." he staggered, unable to form a complete sentence.

"You were dead, Lucifer killed you!" Dean grasped Sam's noble effort. "You left us that awful, awful fake moustache porn flick..."

"Oh, yes, my masterpiece", Gabriel sighed. "Those were the times... Well, anyway. A lot of people who should be dead, aren't. Myself... Both of you... Cassie, I think, has died like three times! You thought you were the only ones who get to be resurrected?"

Dean frowned and pursed his lips. He shared a glance with Sam, who shrugged and gave Dean his "I-suppose-he-has-a-point" -expression. Dean agreed with a nod.

"Yeah, okay. About Cass..." Dean started, but Gabriel cut him off.

"You want him back. You know, I don't get why he hangs out with you guys, all you do is get your buddies killed."

"We know the stats, thanks", Sam said dryly. "I'm sorry, why are you here, again?

Gabriel looked at the younger Winchester from under his brows, with a coy smile on his face. "You dragged me into this whole Lucifer -spoof. So here I am. I've been discovered, it's not use hiding any more. Might as well stop Lucifer from using my brother as a flame thrower."

"Right", Dean said. He had no idea what to think about the situation, so he chose to accept it. Then he scoffed. "So this is the A-Team. Two hunters, a high-level demon and an archangel... On a quest to stop the Satan and save an angel. Sounds like some awful movie script", he said bitterly. "Screw our lives."

"Look at the bright side", Sam said in a light tone. "At least it's not the fate of the entire world on our shoulders."

"I guess that's an up-side."

"Alright! Shall we get to business then?" Crowley suggested, clapping his hands.

"Yeah, let's", Dean agreed, crossing his arms across his chest. "How do we get to Lucifer?"

Crowley smiled and leaned back in his chair. Gabriel mimicked the motion on the armchair he was sitting in, looking expectantly at the demon.

"First we should probably make Lucifer come to us. Taking a day-trip to his private chambers, tempting as it sounds, could be a little too risky", Crowley said. "Who knows, maybe we could convince him to give up the whole dumb plan. I know, I know, you're not that much into talking about things..."

"Uh... Doesn't Lucifer need a vessel?" Sam asked with a hard swallow.

"Don't worry, Sammy-boy", Gabriel said, waving his hand dismissively. "He can probably use his old vessel to show up. It's not like he can just pop up here in full power, anyway. Just a practically graceless, weakened form."

"Okay, then! Let's summon ourselves an angel. When is the big party?" Dean asked, rubbing his hands together as if he was excited. Sam didn't look as convinced.

It was thanks to Lucifer, Sam had been declared mad. The hours, the days, the weeks with the image of Lucifer right by his side... Sam had thought he'd never have to see the blister-covered face again. Purposefully summoning him sounded like the worst plan they had ever pulled together.

"Sam", Dean's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "For Cass."

Yeah, for Cass. Sam had indeed been a little... Mad, granted. But Castiel had fixed him, breaking himself in the process. It was something Sam would never forget. Even after everything Cass had done, taking on someone else's horrible memories was a certain sign of such regret, Sam had forgiven everything. They needed to save the angel. They owed him that much, Sam reminded himself. Even if they didn't, leaving Cass the way he supposedly was – not an option.

"Yeah. Let's do this."

"Splendid!" Crowley smiled. "Let's head back to that cabin of yours. I just had the place cleaned", he added, looking around the dusty, musty-smelling room. "I don't want any burns on the floor."

Dean frowned and looked around, pausing briefly at the spider webs in the corners. "We just drove for fucking hours to get from there to here", he stated almost incredulously.

"You won't have to drive back", Crowley said matter-of-factly. "Are we good to go?"

Gabriel stood up and cracked his knuckles, approaching the Winchesters with a grin on his face.

"Wait", Sam said, lifting a hand in defence. "How do we summon Lucifer?" His tone was almost curious. Crowley's light smile turned into a smirk.

"We pray."

... ... ...

"Does holy oil really work on the devil?" Sam wondered out loud, while drawing a circle on the floor of the cabin with the mentioned oil.

"He is an angel", Gabriel stated.

"Yeah, I know, it just... sounds kind of weird..." Sam mumbled, frowning. The circle was finished.

"I think it's weird it hurts angels. Holy stuff tends to be effective against demons", Dean commented. "Why would holy stuff burn holy things?"

"It's good to know you two still do any thinking", Crowley, who was growing impatient, said. "Now don't you think we should get on with this?"

"Keep your pants on", Dean said, eyeing around him. They had pushed all the moving furniture to the sides, making the small-ish room as spacious as possible. The trap was so obvious Dean had a hard time believing Lucifer would appear at all. "He'll never show", he mumbled, reluctant to show his growing frustration.

"We'll see about that", Gabriel answered nonchalantly. "Here goes. My brother in hell. Thy kingdom never come, thy will never be done on earth or hell blah blah, crawl from whatever hole you nowadays spend your days in and show your vessels melting face."

Sam gave Dean a terrified glance, which the older Winchester answered with an equally shocked expression. He opened his mouth to cut off the archangel's twisted prayer, but didn't really know what to say. It was what they wanted, after all. Right..?

A strained silence took over the room. Sam waited, holding his breath. Finally he had to exhale.

"So. He's not coming?" Dean asked, a hint of relief in his voice. Then he let it sink in. "He's not coming?" he repeated. This time he didn't sound relieved, but as frustrated as he felt, waving his hands in the air and turning around, to face the wall. What would they do now?

"Oh, don't be so impatient", a voice said behind him. A smug voice. A horribly familiar, strangely pleasant, but yet so disgusting voice. Dean whirled around.

"Hello, boys", the devil greeted them.

... ... ...

OKAY, chapter 2, done. Review, please :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay. Things are moving along now. There are a couple of, well, unpleasant things in this one... I'm sorry if you don't like it... Anyway, here's Cass.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

... ... ...

"Lucifer! Where's Cass?" Dean asked, louder than he had meant to. "If you've as much as cut a hair from his head..."

"Whoa, easy there, tiger", Lucifer said, lifting his hands up defensively. Then he smirked. "Your boyfriend's fine. Except that he's my boyfriend now..."

"Where is he?" Sam hissed, all the loathing he felt for the being in front of him stirring under the calm exterior.

"He's downstairs", Lucifer said casually. "I'll tell him you said hi. Is there something I can do for you?"

"How about you, I don't know, let him go?" Dean suggested, angry edge in his voice. Lucifer gave him a long, thoughtful look.

"You know, technically, he's free to leave whenever he wants", he said, with a shrug. "You could say he chose this..."

"How did you do it?" Gabriel asked suddenly, sounding curious.

"Excuse me?" Lucifer asked, lifting his brows at the archangel, whose presence he acknowledged now for the first time.

"Or rather, how did you make him do it?" Gabriel clarified, crossing his arms. Lucifer chuckled.

"Cass would never..!" Dean started, but Lucifer cut him off.

"Oh, he would! Eagerly", the devil told him in a serious tone, obviously doing his best to look convincing. "See, I realised I needed to strike a deal with and angel in order to get back my... Kingdom, if you will..." He gave Crowley the most smug glance Dean had ever seen. "...And it occurred to me that I know one with a huge, huge weakness. Compassion for humans. Two individuals, to be precise. All it took was a dozen hell hounds on your doorstep. When Cassie realised he could never defeat all of them, he pretty much crawled to me and begged for me to call them off. I did, but of course I needed something in return."

"You son of a bitch", Dean growled. Lucifer offered him an insulted expression.

"What? You should be happy. He gave himself to me and I keep my hands off you. Seems like a good deal for you guys", he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Well, the angel in question is not the most reliable of business partners", Crowley commented.

"I think this deal will hold", Lucifer assured him. Crowley narrowed his eyes at him.

"What, you shook hands on it?" he mocked. The small smirk that had been playing on Lucifer's lips during the whole conversation turned into something you could call a grin. A predatory grin. He looked from face to face, making Sam feel like his blood had suddenly changed into icy water. Gabriel's face showed no emotion. The devil stopped at Dean and winked.

"We shook the foundations of hell that night", he said quietly.

They... What? A violent chill ran down Dean's spine as he searched the cold, blue eyes for any sign of lying. He found none. He tried to think, if there was anything else Lucifer could mean by his words than... how Lilith had tried to seal her deal with Sam back before Lucifer was free. He couldn't think of any. The hunter's hands squeezed into fists and he heard Sam draw in a sharp breath.

"So, a legitimate deal this time. I get no soul, but I get a grace. And some other perks..." Lucifer told, turning back to Crowley, who looked genuinely surprised.

"Impressive", the demon said. "To think I didn't even get a kiss..."

"Shut. It", Gabriel snapped. "Just when I thought you couldn't reach a lower level of low. You go and do this to your own brother?" he continued, sounding equally disgusted and disappointed. All Dean could do was stare at the archangel, impressed. It seemed Gabriel had reached a limit the Winchester didn't know existed. Even Lucifer looked a little taken aback.

"I hardly thought you would care. Your precious earth is safe, all I want is hell. Not really your problem, is it? Besides, didn't I kill you?" he asked, tilting his head.

"You had your chance to rise, Luce, and you screwed up. Just let give us Cass, and crawl back to the cage", Gabriel told him. Dean had heard him use such tone once – when they first found out he was actually an archangel.

"I already told you, I can't do that. I need an angel", Lucifer said, rolling his eyes. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I want to see him", Dean stated. Actually, he wasn't the least bit sure if he wanted to see Cass, knowing there's nothing he can do to save him, but he was desperate to buy them some time. He had this nerve wrecking feeling, that if they let Lucifer leave the cabin, they would never see him or Cass again.

"An excellent idea!" Lucifer beamed. "You can say hi to him yourself. I don't think I would've remembered anyway..."

Dean tried his best to contain his growing frustration. Losing his temper wouldn't help him now. Cass could be so damn stubborn, when he thought he was doing the right thing. He probably considered himself a small price to pay for the Winchesters' safety. Especially now that he so desperately wanted to atone for his sins. If Cass didn't want to be saved... Dean almost growled out loud.

Then all of a sudden Cass was there. He was on his knees by Lucifer's side, hanging his head, refusing to meet the shocked gazes around him. Dean felt his anger melt away, giving room for more pure desperation.

"Cass", his voice cracked.

The angel looked so bare before them. The trench coat was gone, as well as the suit jacket, leaving him with only the white dress shirt and the black trousers. He was bloody, but the Winchesters had expected as much. What they found the most unsettling, was the submission that made him just sit there, like a loyal pet. It made Dean want to hurl.

Lucifer sneaked a hand into Cass' hair and pulled it, forcing him to face the people around him.

"Say hi."

"Keep your filthy hands off him", Dean said, his previous anger returning. He took a step forward. Lucifer just lifted a finger and shushed him.

"Let Cassie speak", he said. "Go on, dear. Tell them how happy you are with me."

Cass remained quiet. Lucifer tightened his grip and yanked his hair impatiently, making Cass jerk up. Dean could hear him gasp.

"Sam", the angel finally breathed in a low, croaky voice. His gaze was glued somewhere on the wall behind them. "Dean... Don't come after me. I -I have agreed to a deal."

"Break it!" Dean yelled immediately.

"If I do, I can't protect you from Lucifer", Cass said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You can't protect us from _anything _if you just... Give yourself to him!" Dean tried to reason, all the while knowing it was no use.

"Come on, Cass, fight it", Sam said, sounding as frustrated as Dean felt.

"No."

"Oh, come on! This is not happening", Dean vented, throwing his hands in the air.

"Oh, it is", Lucifer laughed. "Look, I'll show you."

"Don't", said Dean, but Lucifer just ignored him.

"Castiel, show me your wings."

"Lucifer", Gabriel said. It was a clear warning, but the devil only spared him a glance and coldly repeated:

"Show them."

Castiel shuddered and closed his eyes. Dean stared in both awe and horror as big, white wings unfolded from his back. They were so beautiful. Yet the scene playing in front of him was so WRONG. Some of the feathers were black and rough, burned, Dean realised with a frown.

"Hmm", Lucifer hummed, having followed his gaze. He was now standing behind Cass, his fingers still dangled in the angel's hair. Now the devil leaned down, to stroke the burned feathers. Cass jerked again, obviously fighting the urge to pull away from the touch. "They burned in hell fire. When he was pulling you out, you know."

Dean's eyes shot up, to meet Lucifer's. The ice blue eyes answered with an adamant look. He was telling the truth once again. He smirked at Dean, before turning to look at Cass. Dean did not like the pleased look in the devil's eyes.

"But what's a few feathers compared to a couple of human lives... Right... Cassie?" Lucifer asked the angel, taunting him before gripping a handful of the snow white feathers. Castiel's eyes flew open and for a second his gaze met Dean's.

The only thing more awful than the terrified look in those deep blue eyes, was Cass' gut-wrenching scream when Lucifer ripped off the feathers. Somewhere in the middle of it, Dean could faintly hear Gabriel cry out and turn away, unable to watch. Thick, dark blood started flowing down along the wing, dripping to the ground. When the scream finally faded away, Lucifer let the angel drop on the floor, panting in pain.

Dean had to use all his will power to stop himself from running to Cass, clean the gorgeous wings and mend his cuts. Even though the wings were now hanging lifeless on the sides of Castiel's hunched form, it looked like they emitted a faint glow. Dean couldn't see it now, but the featherless hole had looked pitch black, eating all the light around it. Dean shuddered at the memory. A small stream of blood was running into a crack on the wooden floor from the damaged wing.

"Okay... Okay", Sam said breathlessly. "We get it. You have a deal. Is there anything, I mean anything, we can do to make you reconsider?"

Lucifer tilted his head at the younger Winchester thoughtfully. "We could make an arrangement. If you come to hell with me, I'll leave Cass and Dean alone. What do you say? We had fun, didn't we?"

Sam didn't get the chance to say anything. Two voices cried "no" in unison – Cass' shaky, ragged plea and Dean's absolute declaration. Lucifer laughed from the bottom of his gut and wiped imaginary tears from his eyes.

"I know, I know... Besides, I _really_ need an angel. It was fun chatting with you, but we must be going now."

Dean was about to pull out his lighter and light the holy oil, but Sam stopped him with a motion of his hand. Cass was there, his healthy wing way too close to the oil. Dean cursed to himself when the devil disappeared along with their angel. He cursed out loud when he realised they had no idea how to save him. Only knowledge of how bad things actually were.

"That was enlightening", Crowley said after a short silence.

"What do we do now?" Dean asked, throwing his hands in the air.

"I don't know, man", Sam admitted quietly and sat down on the old couch. "I mean, Cass didn't really look like he's up for a fight."

"Unbelievable", Gabriel mumbled, only now recovering from the shocked state Lucifer's actions had driven him into. Both Winchesters turned to look at him, while Crowley proceeded to picking his fingernails. "It's nothing short of astonishing."

"What?" Dean asked, irritated by the archangels riddles.

"That Cass is not up for a fight. That he's submitted himself to Lucifer like that. The way he accepts... Sometimes I wonder what you have done to him", Gabriel mused. "I don't know if you've made him incredibly weak or ridiculously strong."

"Back when a civil was was raging in the heaven, and I mean thousands of years ago, a real bloodbath, some parties took a habit of ripping off their prisoners' wings. Sometimes one feather at a time. It's one of the most painful things you can do to an angel. It's absolutely unacceptable. No angel today would ever do such a thing, it's like an unwritten rule. Even Lucifer... I never thought he'd go as low as to touch his own brother's wings."

Dean's stomach twisted at the memory of Cass' scream. His skin crawled at the thought of how lifeless his eyes had been before Lucifer gripped the feathers and how terror had lit them right before he pulled them. Sam could remember it, too. Cass was really determined to keep them safe. The younger Winchester started unconsciously playing with a loose thread on the couch.

"It's all very touching, but we are on a mission to stop him", Crowley finally said. Not that he didn't appreciate a good drama, but the fear of losing hell was like a monkey on his back. "We have an archangel, he has a normal one. What could go wrong?"

"Yeah, why exactly do we have an archangel?" Sam asked, unable to contain his curiosity anymore. "And don't give me that "might-as-well" -crap. The God-honest truth, please."

Crowley sighed dramatically and sat down. Suddenly he was holding a class of whiskey. Obviously, it would take another moment for them to get to the we-need-to-do-something -phase.

"Well, since you said please", Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. Dean couldn't help but to feel relieved to hear his lighter tone. There had been something terribly unsettling about an upset archangel. "Me and Cass had a little conversation during our trip to the tv-land. He told me to grow a pair – I think he had learned that from you, guys – and do the right thing. I decided I was sick of watching idiot after idiot cause a disaster after another... So, I grew a pair, did the right thing and ended up dead!"

Sam frowned. They knew all of this, well, most of it, anyway. It failed to explain why Gabriel was there, now. Before Sam had a chance to ask, Gabriel added: "I think being resurrected means I did something right. I mean, you can't see any of the bad guys walking around post mortal, right?"

Now he had a point. The Winchesters exchanged glances and silently agreed to accept the explanation.

"Also", Gabriel continued, "Cass did what I couldn't. I ran. He stayed to fight, even though no angel would support him. Not many have what it takes to do that. But it seems with the right motivation..." The archangel winked at Dean, who opened his mouth in surprise, only to close it like a fish on dry land.

"I don't..."

"Oh, come on! He rebelled for you, he believed in you, fought and died and whatnot for your precious ass. Everybody knows that! I thought you wanted to save him, instead of sitting here, praising him to high heavens", Crowley, who had finished his drink, said.

"The second you tell me how to save him, I will", Dean snapped at him.

"Well", Crowley started, straightening his back. "The only reason Lucifer's got the upper hand here, is the deal. We know Cass won't break it, but under the right kind of pressure, Lucifer just might. He's weak, even Cass could probably take him on and survive if we showed him he's about to hurt either of you."

Sam shifted on his seat uncomfortably. He didn't know how to bring up the thing bothering him... Luckily Crowley noticed and read his discomfort correctly.

"If it's the way they... "sealed the deal" you're worried about, don't stress it. Lucifer's no crossroads demon, there's no contract written in blood or any of the fine details. It's actually more of a threat than a deal. The sealing was probably just a... demonstration of dominance."

Dean fell on the couch next to his brother with a groan. He had refused to think about that... A cold, sinking feeling washed over him when he did. Then he couldn't get rid of the images anymore.

There was fire. There were chains, hooks, ropes and the sickening smell of pain. And there was Cass... Laying on a cold, sheetless bed, shirtless, silent and unresisting as Lucifer ran his hands along his body and bit his neck until it bled. His hands roamed lower and lower. Castiel looked up and said something quietly. His eyes were dull, shadowed with shame. He whispered something again, and this time Dean could make out the words "forgive me".

"...Dean?" Sam said, waving a hand in front of his brother's eyes. Dean sucked in a breath and leaned forward, almost hitting his head on Sam's hand.

"Dude, where were you?" the younger hunter asked in a worried tone. "You just dozed off."

"I, uh", Dean stuttered, unsure of what he has just seen. "In... In hell."

"Dean", Sam started, his worry growing. "Since when have you seen visions or had flashbacks or whatever from hell?"

"I haven't! Hallucinations were your thing", Dean countered quickly. "I don't know what happened..."

"Whose hell was it?" Crowley asked.

"It had Lucifer written all over the place", Dean mumbled, rubbing his face, knowing it was not what Crowley had wanted to know.

"That's not what I meant", the demon dead panned. Dean swallowed.

"I saw Cass. Why did I see Cass?" he asked, directing his question to Gabriel. The archangel shrugged, a deep frown on his face.

"Maybe he wanted to tell you something. Did he say anything?" he asked.

"Only that he's sorry", Dean huffed, burying his face in the palms of his hands. "Dammit, Cass. That's not going to cut it this time..."

Sam lowered his gaze and bit his lower lip. That wasn't going to help them much. But Crowley had had a point. If they could make Lucifer go back in his word, Cass would have no reason to keep his end either.

"So, we... Take a day trip to Lucifer's private chambers and push him into attacking one of us", Sam summed up. "Could that work?"

"That would be the plan", Crowley nodded. "It'll either work or you'll both probably and up dead."

Sam sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. This was definitely the stupidest plan they had ever had. Plan A, summoning the devil, had been dumb, undeniably, but volunteering to go to his own playground? Sam was scared. The idea made his stomach twist and hands shake, but what surprised him, was the drive to go through with it. He wanted to do it. Seeing the devil there, right before his own eyes, had helped him get over the irrational fear he had felt towards him. He was flesh and blood. He could be killed. He would be killed, once and for all.

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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey! Sorry it took me this long to update... Personally, I think this chapter is extremely clumsy and a little OOC, but I hope you guys find it better.

**Disclaimer:** Simply not mine.

The place looked exactly like Dean remembered it from his vision, to the last small detail. Except that Cass wasn't laying on any bed. God, Dean wished he was.

Castiel was actually nailed to the wall, like some gruesome crucifix. Thick iron nails were forced through his bare feet and palms and the once so white, now dirty and bloody wings spread on his sides. When Dean rushed forward to get the angel down, he noticed enochian symbols carved in the nails.

Cass wasn't unconscious as Dean had thought, but he might as well have been. His breathing was so heavy, Dean feared it could stop any second. The hunter cradled the angel's body as well as he could, while Sam ran to the right wing.

The younger Winchester grunted. It was hard to get a hold of the blood-slickened nail, even though it stood a couple of inches off the wall, like a blunt spike. He gripped the iron as hard as he could, feeling it dig into his skin.

"Sam", Dean hurried his brother.

"I'm trying", Sam growled through gritted teeth. He placed his left hand on the wing and pushed it back as he directed all his strength into one pull. He felt the feathery surface jerk under his rather harsh touch. Then the nail came out, clacking against the cold ground as it fell. Sam ran to the other wing.

"Hang in there, Cass, we'll get you out of here, whether you like it or not..." Dean mumbled, more to himself than Cass. Then he glanced at Gabriel, who stood in the back of the room. "You're allowed to help!" he yelled at the oddly worried and disgusted-looking archangel.

"I can't", he answered. "The enochian symbols... I can't touch them."

Dean mumbled an angry curse as he turned back to Cass. When the angel was finally free, he lowered him to the ground.

"Cass", Dean tried to catch his attention. "Cass, please..."

"How is he?" Sam asked, kneeling next to his brother.

"Awful", Dean answered, too worried for any sarcastic remarks about the stupidity of his brother's question. Cass sure looked awful, his eyes half lid and lips lightly parted. A trickle of blood lingered on the corner of his mouth. Dean wiped it off gently, noticing how cold he was. Cass was never cold.

"Dean", his weak voice croaked. "Sam..." His unfocused gaze moved slowly from Dean to Sam and back, before he closed his eyes. His brow furrowed ever so lightly. "You shouldn't have come."

"You really thought we wouldn't?" Dean asked, unable to keep the irritated tone out of his voice. "Cass, you stupid son of a bitch... Well, we're leaving."

"No, Dean, I..." Cass tried, but the Winchester wouldn't hear it.

"C'mon, Gabe! Get your ass here and help", he called over his shoulder.

"Gabriel?" Cass repeated, opening his eyes just enough to see the archangel slowly walking toward them. Cass looked away in shame.

Suddenly a hot wave washed over the room as the flames flared. Lucifer had entered the room. Sam stood up and faced the devil, but Dean remained kneeling on the floor. The older brother could feel Cass' body tense and heartbeat quicken.

"Quite stubborn, aren't you?" Lucifer said in his usual, smooth tone. "I thought we reached an agreement."

"You can go fuck yourself", Dean said, without sparing a glance at him.

"I'd rather fuck someone else."

This comment made Dean look at the smirking form over his shoulder. He was getting so tired at that smirk. That arrogant, disgusting smile, that screamed 'EVIL!'. He wanted nothing more than to just attack the devil, punch him in the face, even though he knew he'd just end up hurting his own hand. It could be worth it. Dean looked back to Castiel, who refused to look back. Okay. Cass may have thought he deserved this as a punishment for what he had once done, but Dean didn't. The Winchesters had learned it the hard way – to always look after their family. Now most people they cared about were dead. Ellen, Jo, Bobby... Cass would not be just another name on the list. They would save him.

Dean lowered Cass' head from his lap where it had been resting, and stood up. Why not just barge at the devil? It wasn't quite what they had planned, but Dean loved improvising.

"Over my dead body", he said venomously.

Gabriel shifted on the background, but made no move to stop the Winchester from unsheathing the angel blade. Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

"You don't want to start this with me", he warned quietly. He was starting to get serious. Good, Dean thought. He remembered Crowley's comment about how weak Lucifer was; maybe he could take him on himself.

Dean couldn't be convinced, but soon enough he found himself changing at the devil. A look of irritation crossed Lucifer's face as he dodged the attack and moved aside. Dean turned around, flipped the blade in his hand and charged again. Sam moved behind Lucifer and grabbed him, catching him by surprise. Dean almost hit him, but he vanished from Sam's grip just in time.

"Guys, you're not playing fair", Lucifer noted.

"Why won't you defend yourself, Lucy, huh?" Dean taunted. "At this rate you might end up dead."

"Don't flatter yourself", Lucifer spat out in response. "You should never have come."

"You really thought we'd just sit back? There's no way we could ever let you go through with this", Dean growled.

"We both know you can't kill me, Dean."

"Then I'll die trying."

The Winchesters attacked the devil at the same time, making him dodge and duck and occasionally vanish just to reappear on the other side of the room. All the brothers needed was a counterattack. Gabriel watched them struggle like they had so many times before. They had a tendency to get into fights with opponents that could potentially rip them to shreds and now it was the archangels job to make sure that didn't happen this time.

For a moment, Gabriel wondered what was going on inside his older brother's head. How was he planning to clear the situation? He couldn't just keep running away from the Winchesters' reach much longer, but if he touched them, he knew Gabriel would take them out of there – along with Castiel. The archangel crossed his arms. Lucifer must have known he had no choice... Could he have known he was going to lose?

Finally it seemed like Lucifer had had enough. He waved his left arm, sending Sam flying. For a second he thought he would land right into a pit of hellfire, but Gabriel's perfectly timed push made him hit the ground instead. Meanwhile, Lucifer shoved Dean against the wall, holding him by the throat.

"C-Cass..." Dean managed to croak. Lucifer chuckled at him. "Cass is already too weak."

Dean groaned and closed his eyes. Well...at least Cass had no more obligation to Lucifer.

Sam pushed himself from the floor and sprinted towards the devil, tackling him to the ground. Dean fell from his grip and instantly started looking for the angel blade that had been knocked off his hand. Lucifer found it faster. It flew to his hand and in one swift motion he moved to plunge it into Sam's heart. To everyone's surprise, instead of Sam's heart, the blade sunk into Castiel's shoulder.

He looked like hell, pretty literally. He was deadly pale and his wings were awkwardly folded on his back. Sam thought they looked like a bone was broken in one or two places. The white dress shirt was stained and torn, but the angel still had a firm look of determination on his face.

He wrapped his hand around Lucifer's blade-holding one, and slowly made him pull it out. White light shone from the wound and Cass threatened to collapse. Sam was about to grab him for support, but then he remembered what Gabriel had said about the wings – Castiel's looked so damaged Sam couldn't bring himself to touch them.

Cass opened his mouth to speak, but all he could do was cough up a mouthful of blood. His grip of Lucifer's hand was firm, tight enough to make his knuckles white and the devil grimace. Dean stumbled to his feet and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Gabriel.

"Wait", the archangel told Dean when he made a weak attempt to release himself from his grip. "Just wait."

Suddenly Cass let go of the blade. It caught Lucifer by surprise, and it was easy for the angel to snatch the weapon from his loosened grip. Cass' movement was as swift as Lucifer's had been in his attempt to kill Sam, but there was no one to save the devil from the fatal strike straight through the heart. The Winchesters shielded their eyes from the blinding light of a dying angel.

Thanks for reading :) Review before you go?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Sorry for taking so long... This story turned out to be quite short, only one or two chapters after this one. Thanks to anyone who bothers reading it :)

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Everything happened way too fast. Dean found himself laying on what felt like grass, wondering if it had all been just a dream. Or some weird alternative future shown to him by one of the winged, heavenly dicks. Yeah, it must have been. Not like all that could really have happened... Still, he couldn't open his eyes. He would just keep them closed and keep thinking it hadn't happened instead of opening them to the cruel reality.

"Dean!" Sam's anxious voice had an immediate effect on the older Winchester. Big brother's instinct made him open his eyes to see what was troubling the younger brother. At the same time he was forced to face reality.

Cass was laying on the grass in front of Rufus' cabin, unconscious. Sam was kneeling next to him, pressing the wound on his shoulder. Gabriel knelt by the hurt angel's head one hand resting on his cheek and the other on his chest.

"Damnit, Castiel", the archangel muttered under his breath. "Why won't you heal..?"

Sam's eyes jerked up, to look at him and Dean made his way to the trio. "What do you mean he won't heal? You're a fucking archangel!" he yelled.

"I know what I am!" Gabriel snapped. "But he's neither healing himself, nor accepting any of my help. He's just refusing to heal." His voice softened toward the end, and Sam could have sworn he looked sad. Dean, however, didn't notice.

"What the hell... Come on!" Dean moaned. "It's okay, you know, everything's fine. Lucifer's dead. You killed him", Dean's voice wavered. "Now all we need to do is get you patched up and flyin'."

He didn't know what he had expected, but seeing his words have no effect made him walk a circle in frustration. "This ain't fair, you bird-brain! After all the trouble you've put us through, you just CHOOSE to go ahead and die? What the hell, Cass!"

He stopped his pacing to look at the practically dead-looking angel. "What the hell", he repeated once again. He sat down on the ground and let himself stare at the features of Jimmy Novak's face. He briefly wondered if Jimmy was still alive in there, but then he realized it wouldn't matter in a moment anyway. He'd die soon enough along with Castiel. Dean wasn't pissed at the thought anymore, it just made him endlessly sad. Everything they had been through together, everything they had survived, it all came down to this sorry situation, in which Cass wanted to lay down and die? Not that Dean never wanted to, no. He had thought about it a million times. But he had always had a reason to live, whether it was saving the world or killing the bad guy, or just being there for Sammy.

"You really can't figure out a reason to live?" the older Winchester asked quietly. "You've always thought we're worth dying for, but I'd rather you lived for us."

Dean realized it as he spoke and suddenly he was frustrated again. He wanted to shake the lifeless form of his friend, the newest member of his messed up family. Because he realized he really wanted Cass to live for him, because he didn't know if he could go on if he didn't.

Sam stopped pressing the wound when he realized he could lay endless pressure on it, stitch it up, hell, he could heal it to nonexistence and it would do no good. He pulled away from the awkward position he had adapted in order to avoid hurting the wing that lay lifeless on the ground. Lifeless or not, Sam couldn't help looking at it in awe. It restored some of the fear-mixed respect he had felt for the angel when they had first met. Before Cass had proven to be so awkward. And amusing. And... so HUMAN.

"Dude, we don't agree too often, but I gotta second that. Besides, who's gonna save Dean next time he gets in trouble if you're not here?" Sam joked quietly, smiling sadly.

"Well, what do you know..." Gabriel said, lifting his brow. "Cass was always a sucker for chick flick moments. If you don't mind, Sammy, it would be hilarious to lose him over blood loss now that he's decided to start healing."

Sam stared for a split second before hurrying to press the wound again. He felt relief wash over him as Cass flinched under his touch. Dean leaned forward to lay a hand on the angel's uninjured shoulder. It felt good to touch him. It meant he was still there.

"Cass?" Dean tried, but the angel didn't react to his voice. "Hang in there, man, don't you let go."

"He's listening", Gabriel told him. "Keep talking."

"Uh", Dean stumbled over his words. "Just... Just fight, okay? I knew you'd come to your senses... I know you were in a bad place, but you're out of there now." Dean's stomach churned in protest as he thought about where exactly Cass had been. "We got you."

"There", Gabriel said, lifting his hands off his brother. "That's all I can do."

Cass' face was now just a bit healthier in color and when Sam lifted his hands off the wound, he only saw an ugly scar.

"I know it's a little too much to ask, but you should hide your wings, bro", Gabriel said, his tone lighter now, more like it used to be, which offered some comfort to the Winchesters. "It'll be a real pain in the ass to get you inside like that..."

"Why won't you just heal them?" Dean asked, carefully tracing a finger along the most undamaged spot he could find. The wing shuddered lightly under his touch, but it didn't feel like a pained tremble - more like a recognition.

"You don't just go around healing angel wings!" Gabriel exclaimed incredulously. "All I did, was patch up the vessel. Cass has a lot of healing to do on his own. His true form is damaged and I don't even want to think about the mess inside his melon."

The Winchesters silently agreed. "Well, okay then. Zap him in so we can at least clean what we can", Dean said. Gabriel sighed and moved to Cass' side. He carefully folded the wings, cringing each time they resisted or made a snapping noise. When he finally had them where he wanted, he wiggled an arm under Cass' back and cradled him, before vanishing into the house. The Winchesters followed by foot and when they walked past the Impala Crowley had brought back, Dean ran his hand along its hood. "At least you're still in one piece, baby..."

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